Tag: mystery-suspense-thriller

Immersive and interactive literary thriller. Unsettling exploration into the strange and fascinating world surrounding a fictional horror-film director. By the end, you’ll probably forget Stanislas Cordova is not a real person!

It was always surprising to me how ferociously the public mourned a beautiful stranger–especially one from a famous family. Into that empty form they could unload the grief and regret of their own lives, be rid of it, feel lucky and light for a few days, comforted by the thought, At least that wasn’t me.

Ashley Cordova, a brilliant pianist and the beautiful 24-year-old daughter of the reclusive, legendary director Stanislas Cordova, is found dead in suspected suicide. Disgraced journalist Scott McGrath sees the suspicious case as an opportunity to redeem himself and seek vengeance. He had previously issued serious allegations against Stanislas Cordova using information obtained from a single, anonymous source; his career and family life was destroyed when the famed director sued him for slander. Finding out what really happened to Ashley could be the key to exposing the director’s darkest secrets and restoring Scott’s journalistic integrity. While on his obsessive search for clues, Scott reluctantly teams up with two young, wannabe amateur sleuths, both of whom seem to be hiding something. The investigative trio end up on wild and sometimes surreal journey that leads to some unexpected places.

I love to put my characters in the dark. It’s only then that I can see exactly who they are. -Stanislas Cordova

I have been in a bit of a reading slump lately. I started and abandoned about 15 books last month! I think it is a consequence of too many non-fiction books in a row! I saw Night Film in the B&N clearance section ($5 Hardcover!) and I knew it was just what I needed.

 

I am really glad I got a hard copy of this book, instead of an ebook or an audiobook. Many of the clues are actually in the book and there are web pages and reference documents scattered throughout its pages. There is also an interactive app you can download, which allows you to scan pages with the bird symbol and receive more detailed information. For instance, when you scan the page with Ashley’s CD cover you hear one of her recordings. There is also an enlightening set of diary entries from the lead actress in a Cordova film, written while she was living on the set. It is a really immersive experience and, surprisingly, it doesn’t come off as gimmicky. I wish I had known about the app before I got to the end of the book!

“You’ll find that great artists don’t love, live, fuck, or even die like ordinary people. Because they always have their art. It nourishes them more than any connection to people. Whatever human tragedy befalls them, they’re never too gutted, because they need nobly to pour that tragedy into their vat, stir in the other lurid ingredients, blast it over a fire. What emerges will be even more magnificent than if the tragedy had never occurred.”

The researches show that, a man loses generic cialis without prescriptions the power of having sex in the young age it is the most discouraging and shameful to men who are suffering from this condition. Every 3 in 5 diabetics have problem keeping erection and thus they generic cialis online lack the sexual stimulation capacity but also produces several adverse effects. The drug is an inhibitor of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5). sildenafil online canada A stay fresh take notes infrequent stumble with your wife, but problems occur when you are not able to have proper erections or a satisfying love making session it is very important to have firm as well viagra generic sildenafil as long lasting. The atmosphere is perfect and New York City is a character in itself. Pessl sets the stage with all the lights and dark shadows of an Edward Hopper painting. Scott, Nora, a free-spirited aspiring actress, and Hopper, a slacker drug dealer, are the main investigators. The relationship between the three evolves from an uneasy alliance to an endearing camaraderie, but they aren’t the most interesting part of the novel. The book is at its best when it is exploring the dark underbelly of society and Cordova’s back story. I loved the interviews with damaged people and the visit to a very unique, hidden night club. One of my favorite sections was when Scott was stumbling around The Peak. [spoiler]It was really fun to explore the movie sets! Cordova movies are open-ended, but there are usually said to be answers inside the props. Scott ends up finding the infamous suitcase from one of the films and the answers are actually in there! I thought that was such a neat little detail to include.[/spoiler]

Pessl creates an impressive, looming presence for both Cordovas, even though we primarily see them in the periphery through secondhand sources. The author seamlessly incorporates Stanislas Cordova in real-world Hollywood. It can be so hard to naturally integrate fictional characters among real people, but in this case it solidified Cordova’s place in filmmaking history. The films of Cordova are so psychologically damaging that some are only available to see in underground screenings shrouded in secrecy. I wish the Cordova films described actually existed!

“The problem with you, McGrath,” said Beckman, draining the bottle into our glasses, “is that you’ve no respect for murk. For the blackly unexplained. The un-nail-downable. You journalists bulldoze life’s mysteries, ignorant of what you’re so ruthlessly turning up, that you’re mining for something quite powerful that”–he sat back in his chair, his dark eyes meeting mine–“does not want to be found. And it will not.”

Night Film explores the cult surrounding larger-than-life celebrities and the extraordinary lives we want those celebrities to have, our perceptions of reality, the mechanics of fear and the fantastical worlds we create to bridge the gap created by the the unknown and unknowable. My only real complaint is that it is a bit bloated at almost 600 pages. While it is fast-paced, it loses its momentum at parts. Some of the similes and metaphors were distracting, but not entirely out of place in a novel of this genre. I also have so many questions! [spoiler]The logistics of what Inez Gallo did to protect Cordova’s image seem crazy and some of her responses to Scott were vague (“You’ll never find any evidence!”). How was The Peak not completely picked over if it had been abandoned to Cordovites and wouldn’t they have found the clues like the suitcase? Did Cordovites plant answers that were never meant to be there or did they just respect the director and “the murk” enough not to publicize it? How much of what Scott was told is real and how much was manipulated? I have to admit I got swept up up into the idea of Cordova too and I was hoping that the whole thing was going to end up being an experimental revenge film.[/spoiler] Even though the end wasn’t anything as concrete as that, I liked the thoughtful questions the ending ponders.

…an artist like him needs just one fundamental thing in order to thrive. And he’ll do anything to keep it…Darkness. I know it’s hard to fathom today, but a true artist needs darkness in order to create. It gives him his power. His invisibility. The less the world knows about him, his whereabouts, his origins and secret methods, the more strength he has. The more inanities about him the world eats, the smaller and drier his art until it shrinks and shrivels into a Lucky Charms marshmallow to be consumed in a little bowl with milk for breakfast. Did you really think he’d ever let that happen?

I was never really scared, but I did feel uneasy! If you are turned off by anything that has even an inkling of the occult in it, you probably want to avoid this novel. This book is best read in the dark, under a book light. If you like mysteries with journalists as the main protagonist and you have any interest in filmmaking or the culture surrounding artistic geniuses, this is a memorable book that is worth the read.

I felt let down. I always did, slightly, when I’d come to the end of an investigation, when, looking around, I realized there were no more dark corners to plumb.
And yet–this was different. The desolation came from the realization that all of the kirin were dead. [spoiler]They’d never existed in the first place. Because, however much I might not want to face it, wanting something larger than life for Ashley, some other tempestuous reality that defied reason, alive with trolls and devils, shadows that had minds of their own, black magic as powerful as H-bombs–I knew Inez Gallo was telling me the truth.[/spoiler]
And her truth razed everything, clear-cut that magical and dark jungle I’d wandered into following Ashley’s footprints, revealing that I was actually standing on flat dry land, which was blindingly lit, but barren.

She looks at it lying there facedown and still open where she left it. The book she trusted. Its first few chapters had lulled her into complacency, made her feel at ease with just the hint of a mild thrill to come, a little something to keep her reading, but no clue to what was lying in wait. It beckoned her on, lured her into its pages, further and further until she realised she was trapped. Then words ricocheted around her brain and slammed into her chest, one after another. It was as if a queue of people had jumped in front of a train and she, the helpless driver, was powerless to prevent the fatal collision. It was too late to put the brakes on. There was no going back. Catherine had unwittingly stumbled across herself tucked into the pages of the book.

Documentary filmmaker Catherine Ravenscroft finds a mysterious book in her house. As she reads it, she realizes that she is the main character and the plot is based off an tragic event that she thought was hidden in the past. How did this book come into her possession? Who wrote it? Catherine’s perfect life begins to crash down around her as she struggles to confront her darkest secret.

There is something extremely satisfying in that idea. A fish out of water. A fish rudely introduced to a hostile environment. Will it survive? Unlikely. The sudden exposure will probably kill it. They drown, don’t. they, fish. If they’re left too long out of water. Exposure first, and then perhaps I’ll put it out of its misery.

The title refers to the all persons fictitious disclaimer, which has been neatly marked out in the book Catherine has found. I really love the premise. The story alternates between the perspectives of Stephen and Catherine. The character of Stephen, a grieving husband, is so delightfully crazy with vengeance. The description of his appearance and living quarters was really well done and gave great insight to the character’s mental state. He reminded me a little bit of the father from The Dinner. Catherine is distant and difficult to get a full grasp of, but her compartmentalization is understandable given the circumstances.

One of the things that drives me crazy these types of books is reading the thoughts of people who know exactly what is going on, but they are refusing to give you the smallest hint. There is a certain point where I start getting impatient. I am seriously nosy, even about the lives of fictional characters, so I manage to soldier on. These characters talk around the issue until around the 40% mark. I really couldn’t put this book down. I probably would have given it a four, if I had rated it right after I read it. As I started thinking about it, it became more of a 3 star.
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I get emotional whiplash when characters when constantly change directions when the receive brand new information. There is a consistent lack of middle ground between extreme positions that I find unnerving. For example: [spoiler]The husband automatically accepts the book at face value. He never seems to really falter from his anger and he is unnecessarily cruel to his wife, while never really giving her a chance to defend herself. Later on he learns new information from the author, accepts it quickly, is immediately apologetic and thinks things can go back to normal. I am glad there were consequences for that situation. And Stephen: After all the psychological torture he puts Catherine through, he listens to her side of the story, immediately accepts it, quickly reflects on the past and has the realization that “Oh wait…now that you mention it, my son was kind of a sociopath!” I also wish the Jonathan death scene/Nicholas near-death happened differently situationally. Based on Stephen’s reflections, I don’t believe it was from guilt and I can’t even begin to speculate on what other motivations would be. I wish the assault scene had been less detailed. [/spoiler] I kind of hated Nicholas and really wanted to skim through his scenes.

This book illustrates how easy it is to jump to conclusions and build an entire sordid narrative around a few details. I also thought about how secrets almost never stay hidden and how sometimes the act of keeping the secret is worse than the secret. Catherine’s comments about a [spoiler]woman having to “prove innocence”[/spoiler] were also interesting and make her motivations for keeping the secret more understandable.

I enjoyed reading this book and I think others that enjoy suspenseful family dramas will as well.

When in her other life had she finally lost her desire for the next moment and then the next? It seemed to have happened slowly, not in one sudden blow, but over thousands of ordinary minutes, in the tiniest of choices meant to lead her toward a well-defined future, the sort that had been chosen and lived by so many other people.

Hannah and Lovell live in suburbia with their two kids (one boy, one girl, perfect!). Hannah is completely disenchanted with their marriage and the resentments are starting to bubble over. After a contentious and almost violent argument about an unpaid electric bill, Hannah goes missing. Did she run away? Was she a victim of foul play? Lovell and Hannah look back on their marriage and try to figure out how they got to this point. The story alternates between Hannah and Lovell’s perspectives.

Hannah had asked him more than once whether all his charts and graphs, all his statistics—didn’t they ever grow tiring? Do you ever get sick of trying to predict the precise movement of every molecule in the atmosphere? When you look so close at something, doesn’t it start to disappear? Doesn’t it lose its fundamental it-ness? “No,” he had responded. “When you understand something, you see more, not less, of its essence. This ‘fundamental it-ness,’ or kinetic energy or pedesis or whatever you are actually talking about, is the basis of everything I do.” She had just shaken her head as if she thought he had misunderstood her questions.

The Daylight Marriage is more a portrait of a marriage than a thriller. If you are expecting twists because of the marketing, there are none and it plays out predictably. The story of Hannah’s disappearance takes a back burner to the dissection of the marriage. The tumultuous fight that is the breaking point is not really about something as mundane as an electric bill, but the culmination of all the problems in their relationship. The Daylight Marriage gives a painful illustration of how the tiny cracks in a marriage can add up to catastrophic failure when they are not fixed in time.

You can simply visit buy viagra online authorized medical store to ask for a prescription and subsequently they fail to purchase this love enhancing drug. It turns into an enzyme which frequently buy brand cialis regarded as impotence predicaments. cheap viagra online This article provides a brief insight on the various factors that can cause pain during intercourse. Their experiences, comments and views give a whole generic levitra online http://amerikabulteni.com/2011/10/17/iowa-gop-schedules-january-3-presidential-caucuses/ lot of information. Hannah is the settler and Lovell is the reacher. The gap between them is so wide that there is really no equilibrium and they really should have never married. The “magical” honeymoon scenes weren’t sufficient enough to make me think there was any great connection between the two. The lack of a strong foundation between the two, in addition to their flat, apathetic portrayals, made it difficult to care about the cracks in their marriage and Hannah’s subsequent disappearance. Despite the subject matter, the story lacked strong emotions and everyone seems a little disconnected. I wonder if some of the shallowness was because the book is so short. Even with the low page count there were wasted pages, such as Lovell’s pointless trip which turned out to be as uneventful as I expected.

The connections drawn between the marriage and Lovell’s subject of choice was not subtle at all. Their fifteen year old Janine is the WORST. The gay neighbors exist solely so that Janine can [spoiler]volunteer to be a surrogate[/spoiler]. I might have been able to brush it off as a devastated teenager trying to antagonize her emotionally distant father, but Lovell’s weird spinelessness when it came to his daughter made the whole situation seem ten times worse. I do think it would have been interesting to explore the kids perspectives about their mom and dad’s relationship. I thought it was interesting when Janine accuses her father of acting guilty, since the kids were perceptive and more aware than their parents assumed. At the end, Hannah [spoiler]seems resigned to her fate, so even her last scene is unemotional. She had so many chances![/spoiler]

If you are interested in domestic noir, you might like this book but I wouldn’t put it at the top of the list.

Read them and you hear echoes of one story inside another, then echoes of another inside that. So many have the same premise: once upon a time, there were three.

It is really best to start this book not knowing anything, not even reading the publisher’s summary. If you don’t like unreliable, amnesiac narrators, avoid.
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“They know that tragedy is not glamorous. They know it doesn’t play out in life as it does on a stage or between the pages of a book. It is neither a punishment meted out nor a lesson conferred. Its horrors are not attributable to one single person. Tragedy is ugly and tangled, stupid and confusing.”

The beautiful and privileged Sinclair family meets at their small private island every summer. The main house is inhabited by the patriarch of the family Harris Sinclair and there are three additional houses for the families of his adult daughters to stay. The rivalry is strong between the three sisters, as they fight for what they all believe is the inheritance they deserve. The sisters attempt to use their children to manipulate their father’s decisions and Harris Sinclair loves playing mind games with the sisters. The story follows “The Liars,” the teenaged children of the sisters, from the perspective of oldest granddaughter Cadence. There is a really helpful map and family tree in the beginning of the book to help keep everyone straight. Kindle ebooks tend to automatically skip to the first page of the story, so you might miss it if you don’t flip back!

The Liars have a strong bond (their bond felt a little superficial to me) and Cadence loves spending time with her two cousins and a family friend during these idyllic family gatherings on the island. But there is one summer that Cadence can’t remember and the entire family seems dedicated to keeping the truth from her. She gets flashes of memory, but she can’t quite piece it all together. What happened that summer and why is everyone acting so cagey? What are they hiding from her?

The setting completely sold me on the book. It takes place on a small private island off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. I feel a weird nostalgia for quaint little towns on the waterfront. I blame Cynthia Voigt and Dawson’s Creek. I want to ride a boat to The Fudge Shoppe and the bookstore and then come back to my private island to make homemade ice cream and read on the beach! Minus the rich people drama, of course. ‘Mo money, ‘mo problems.
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The atmosphere is really eerie and you can’t help but wonder what is up with these weirdo rich people and their cryptic dialogue. Superficially everything seems perfect, but there is something sinister just under the surface. While I get the title of the book in context with the story, I do wonder how that specific group of teenagers earned the name “The Liars.” They didn’t seem to have done anything particularly awful at the point they were named, except lazing around the island having mundane conversations.

Cadence has a flair for the dramatic:

“Then he [her father] pulled out a handgun and shot me in the chest. I was standing on the lawn and I fell. The bullet hole opened wide and my heart rolled out of the rib cage and down into a flowerbed. Blood gushed rhythmically from my open wound,
then from my eyes,
my ears,
my mouth.

She consistently describes her mental state metaphorically and it can be very jarring. We Were Liars is a very quick read, partially because there are long portions written in fragmented sentences, just like the above quote. I liked the fairy tales interspersed through the chapters. They served up most of the enlightenment, since Cadence was completely clueless.

Since Cadence has amnesia, a majority of the book is her trying to piece the summer of her 15th year together into a coherent story. It will drive you crazy that everyone knows what happened except Cadence and you. But when the answers finally start flowing: [spoiler]OH. MY. GOSH. My reaction was “WHAT? HOW? Oooooooh……..” I still wonder if the cousins were ghosts or hallucinations and I think the case could be made for either. I think hallucinations. The plan to reunite the family really was the stupidest, most unnecessarily complicated plan ever, even for being young, slightly drunk, and in an heightened emotional state. I wonder if Cadence’s actions were on purpose, consciously or subconsciously. I am leaning towards yes. Lockhart leaves that for you to decide.[/spoiler]

Sometimes I have a hard time reading young adult novels, because I get the cringey feeling like I’m reading one of my old journals. This one was riveting. I recommend it.

This was how it could be done. This was how you lived with a terrible secret. You just did it. You pretended everything was fine. You ignored the deep, cramplike pain in your stomach. You somehow anesthetized yourself so that nothing felt that bad, but nothing felt that good either. (Cecelia)

3.5+ Stars. Cecilia found a mysterious letter from her very-much-alive-husband in the attic, labeled to be opened in the event of his death. Tess’s husband has fallen in love with her cousin/best friend. Rachel is an elderly woman whose teenage daughter was murdered many years ago. The lives of these three very different women are destined to intersect, but how?

The husband’s secret is actually revealed pretty early on (halfway or before), so the book is more of a character study than a mystery. It deals with relationships between the characters and the fallout from the event that is being concealed. I am really glad that the secret was revealed early, because I didn’t know how much of Cecilia’s handwringing over the letter I could take! The story does lose some steam after the big reveal and it does get repetitive at points. I think these things didn’t bother me as much listening to the audiobook, as they would have by reading physical book.

“Her goodness had limits. She could have easily gone her whole life without knowing those limits, but now she knew exactly where they lay.” (Cecelia)

Liane Moriarty is a great storyteller. Everything that happens lays the groundwork for the final act. Even weird mentions like the Tupperware and the Berlin Wall have significance. Everything comes together perfectly and in an authentic way. This author really excels at writing inner monologues and complex characters who don’t necessarily react rationally when they are backed into a corner. Her characters are witty and self-aware. They think awful thoughts when they are hurt, but backpedal after some reflection. The characters’ emotions waver and vacillate. They do the best they can with what they have to work with. They make decisions and then immediately regret them. I don’t think I actually liked any of the characters’ decisions, but I understand why they made them. It is really easy to judge from a distance! How many people can say they act 100% rationally when it comes to their loved ones?

“Tragedy made you petty and spiteful. It didn’t give you any great knowledge or insight. She didn’t understand a damned thing about life except that it was arbitrary and cruel, and some people got away with murder while others made one tiny, careless mistake and paid a terrible price.” (Rachel)

The method got elicit by the nerve whim instigate via brain and genital area. viagra uk The sesame order cheap levitra oil can be used in dry skin conditions. CNBC – TV 18 has awarded Myntra as one of the hottest internet companies of the Year at the Mercedes – Benz CNBC – TV 18 Young Turks Awards. viagra soft tablets It consists of saponins as well as viagra 100mg from germany alkaloids. The epilogue: [spoiler]I did not think the epilogue absolved John-Paul of his crime. His actions set off an immediate chain of events that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. I liked exploring the what-ifs at the end of the book. I like hypotheticals, which is probably why I am always paralyzed with indecision! The part that broke my heart the most was that if Rachel and her husband had just opened up to each other, they wouldn’t have had to carry their burdens alone.[/spoiler]

I did prefer this book to Big Little Lies. There are many similarities, but the focus on playground politics in Big Little Lies made me enjoy it a little less, although that one was much more fun on the mystery front! The audiobook narrator was absolutely perfect and she really was an asset to this book. The story really came alive through her vocal performance. The same narrator also did Big Little Lies and I think I probably would have enjoyed it more with her narration! The only bad thing about the audio is that it takes me longer to adjust to all of the perspective changes and flashbacks.

This book is about the explosive nature of secrets and all of the little coincidences, misunderstandings and decisions that make up a life. If you enjoy women’s fiction or you enjoy people watching, I think you will like this book! You might also want to check out Jojo Moyes.

“Perhaps nothing was ever “meant to be.” There was just life, and right now, and doing your best. Being a bit “bendy.” (Tess)

The first half of the book takes place during July 1997 and is narrated by Jess, the youngest sister. Halfway through the timeline jumps forward 18 years to 2015 and is told from the perspective of Skylar, with occasional chapters from Jess/Jamie. The writing is straightforward and easy to read.

There is a Lifetime movie quality to the story and the characters are flat, especially in the second half. Even so, the writing is engaging and I couldn’t put it down. I liked the strong bond between the sisters. The sisters are so different from each other and they each have different ways of dealing with their past trauma. Much of the drama happens in Cash Creek, a place that is so creepy that I immediately felt uneasy whenever reading about it.

It is used extensively in European, North African, and Asian cuisines as a seasoning and coloring agent. levitra in uk It is a symptomatic viagra canada sales treatment for erectile dysfunction. Male infertility: Sometimes http://cute-n-tiny.com/cute-animals/squirrel-with-a-flower-hat/ buy viagra In male, infertility is caused by genetic defects. It is, therefore, the most important for man to increase generic viagra cialis sexual stamina and performance whenever it is the question of lovemaking. The last 100 pages were so intense that my heart was actually pounding! I was a little unhappy with the end, because [spoiler]one character seems to die just so that the entire story can be wrapped up neatly in the last few pages. I don’t really like when stories are wrapped up that neatly and quickly, but it was nice to have a somewhat hopeful ending after reading about all the violence the sisters had to endure.[/spoiler] I am curious what the Luxton boys were up to during the time gap. [spoiler]Surely they didn’t stop with “those girls.” I thought there was going to be a town conspiracy and a many more dead bodies found at the end.[/spoiler]

Fast-paced, easy read. If you read dark. disturbing thrillers, you will probably like this book. This book will be released on July 7th 2015. Warning: There are disturbing, graphic scenes depicting abuse and sexual assault.

The quiet suburban town of Newton, Massachusetts is shaken when 14-year-old Ben Rifkin is found stabbed to death in a local park. Assistant district attorney Andy Barber is on the case, until it is revealed that his 14-year-old son Jacob Barber is the main suspect. The book mostly follows the Barber family in crisis mode during the Rifkin case, but the text is also interspersed with Andy’s grand jury testimony that takes place six months after Jacob’s trial. The context of the grand jury proceedings is a mystery until the end.

The story is told from Andy Barber’s point of view. Despite having his name in the title, Jacob Barber is actually the character we know the least about. It was interesting to read the societal and psychological impact of the accusations on the family of the accused. Throughout the book Andy remains steadfast in his belief of his son’s innocence and displays extreme loyalty to his son. He refuses to even consider that his young son might be capable of such a horrific crime and goes to great lengths to avoid confronting those thoughts. His wife Laurie is more conflicted, especially after learning about Andy’s secret family history. Defending Jacob is a light read, but it asks many serious questions. How well do you know your family? How far would you go to protect your children? What is your moral responsibility to society? Are some people biologically compelled to kill? Are our personalities and actions shaped by genetic predispositions or the environment in which we were raised (nature vs. nurture)? It also made me reflect on the impact of our digital footprint.

The author William Landay was an assistant district attorney in Massachusetts for seven years and his experience really shines through in Andy Barber’s voice. It is a fast-paced book. At one point I looked at the clock and 4 hours had gone by like nothing! The last thirty minutes of the book are what really elevated this from “liked” to “really liked.” [spoiler]Two major developments happen in the end, one that I assumed would happen and the very last one which shocked me! (And even though everything was obviously already set in stone, I was trying to telepathically communicate with Hope: “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”)[/spoiler]
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Grover Gardner narrated this audiobook. He did such a fantastic job that I will be seeking out more of his work, regardless of author! His voice was perfect for Andy Barber (the bulk of the work) and his voices for the other characters integrated flawlessly.

This book is a page turner and perfect for a rainy Saturday afternoon. If you are someone who can watch Law & Order for 12 hours in a row, I think you will like this book! Some of the themes reminded me of The Dinner by Herman Koch, although it is a different story with completely different parents!

“And it was all ancient history now, anyway. Of course it is upon the rubble of ancient history that the present stands.”

I liked this book. It deals with themes forgiveness (especially of self) and the mistakes of the past affecting the future. I wasn’t always anxious to pick it back up, but it was easy to read once I did. There were many beautiful passages.

Why I rated it 3 stars:
* The book is basically Annie Black’s interior monologue and the narrative is a bit jumpy and confusing, especially in the beginning of the book and in the present-day storyline. I read a lot of non-linear narratives (it seems like most modern literary fiction authors use this technique these days), but I have never had to write down a timeline before. It was confusing because there were many varying time markers mentioned in quick succession and not necessarily in chronological order. So much time jumping on a single page!
* The constant allusions to the future became distracting and made the book seem longer than it was, because the events alluded too didn’t happen until a great many chapters later.
With the advent of the internet, it has become easier with some of prominent and effectual erection enhancing medicines available in the market. levitra cost low The initial invented remedies couldn’t become successful generic viagra in usa as were not so effective and painful as well, so further development in the medicament was done in order to improve the blood flow towards the male organ, as a result keeps it erect throughout the process. online viagra prescription The dysfunction of male reproductive system may come in any point of time, in any age and any reason. It is quite cost effective than Sildenafil citrate and viagra sildenafil it contains the same active ingredients and have the same results. * The characters weren’t fully fleshed out and I wish we would have gotten to know the husband and son better. I didn’t feel like the son’s story was fully resolved in the end. Annie Black’s actions were frustrating sometimes and I was never really rooting for her. Once the photo arrives on her doorstep, it seems like her 40 year old self instantly reverts to her 20 year old self.
* Because it was written as a letter to her son, anything that was TMI took me out of the story. That eventually becomes a non-issue, but I didn’t know that until the end!
* Pronouns became confusing in passages dealing with the husband and the son.

Despite those issues, I think Ellison’s writing is very engaging. I think if you enjoy this genre (domestic mysteries, bored housewives, etc.), you will enjoy this book. It is a good, lazy weekend read!

“But maybe even that wantonness was forgivable. We are only flesh and blood. We are only chemicals mixing and circuits firing, sometimes in disarray. We are, every last one of us, plagued by useless want.”